THE Commission on Elections on Tuesday proclaimed Abigail Binay as the winning candidate for mayor in Makati City.
Binay, the incumbent representative of the city’s 2nd district, received 153,487 votes over her rival, Liberal Party candidate and incumbent Mayor Romulo Peña Jr. who received 137,803 votes.
“Ang pagiging lingkod-bayan ay may naka-akibat na mga sakripisyo at pagtitiis,” Binay said.
“Ang lahat ng ating kailangan gawin ay higit sa ating sarili. Umasa kayo na magpapatuloy ang aking paglilingkod ayon sa itinakda. Maraming salamat po sa patuloy ninyong pagsuporta.”
Binay’s running mate Monique Lagdameo was also proclaimed winner with her 165,894 votes, beating Karla Mercado, Peña’s running mate and daughter of former vice mayor Ernesto Mercado who received 103,209 votes.
Abigail, who is in her third and final term as a lawmaker, is the fourth member of the Binay family to be elected mayor in Makati. First was her father, the incumbent Vice President Jejomar Binay followed by her mother Elenita Binay and her brother Junjun Binay.
Her sister Nancy Binay is an incumbent senator.
Junjun was supposed to run for reelection in the city but his dismissal order from the Office of the Ombudsman over allegations of irregularities in the city prompted the Binay family and the United Nationalist Alliance, the political party of the vice president, to field Abigail.
Meanwhile, Abigail’s husband Luis Campos is also a leading candidate in the congressional race in their district, while actor and television host Jhong Hilario topped the list of the winning candidates for councilor.
Makati, a city with more than 370,000 registered voters, has been a stronghold of the Binays since the vice president was appointed by then President Corazon Aquino as its officer in charge in 1986.
Elenita Binay served as mayor of Makati City from 1998 to 2001.
Junjun vacated his post in July last year to serve the six-month preventive suspension order against him in connection with the alleged irregularities in the construction of the Makati Science High School and City Hall Building II.
The Office of the Ombudsman later came up with a decision dismissing and perpetually disqualifying the young Binay from holding public office.
His lawyers maintain that the allegations against the Binays are baseless and politically motivated.